THERE was no hiding the stark contrast in emotions as Lynn Gibson and Perriss Wilkins endured delight and despair at the AAAs Championships here on Saturday.

The smiles belonged to Oxford City's middle distance expert Gibson as she was crowned women's 1500m champion after a determined run which also clinched a place at the Commonwealth Games.

Banbury Harrier Wilkins, on the other hand, struck a disconsulate figure after a disappointing series of throws left him lagging behind in fourth place in the men's discus.

It was almost half an hour after his final throw - and the dream of a Games place had faded into obscurity - that the 29-year-old left the Alexander Stadium track after seeing his second throw of 57.89m trail Robert Weir by almost five metres.

"I have let everybody down,' Wilkins said. "I felt good in the warm-up but nothing went right. I'm choked." Now he awaits a meeting of the England team selectors to see if last month's British record throw will allow him to sneak in the team through the back door.

Gibson secured her seat on the flight to Kuala Lumpur with a gutsy display and a change of tactics.

Helen Pattinson, who beat her great rivial into second place in Friday's heats, led from the gun but found Andover-based Gibson nestling permanently on her shoulder.

"I have waited until the final 100m before making the break in previous races with Helen," Gibson recalled. "But today I thought I would give it a go a little further out."

It worked a treat as the City star took a slim lead and clung on to achieve a brilliant win in a season's best time of 4.12.72.

There was another supreme effort from Radley's Donita Benjamin, who finished fifth in the women's long jump behind world heptathlete champion Denise Lewis.

Lewis had earlier defeated another Radley girl, Kay Reynolds, in the first heat of the 100m hurdles. Reynolds finished a gallant fourth.

Benjamin and Oxford City's Carl Afilaka, both failed to qualify in Friday's heat of the 100m.

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